The Second Empress

The Second Empress National bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear

Title: The Second Empress

Author: Michelle Moran

ISBN: 9780857388605

Page: 212

Format: Paperback

National bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon s power is absolute When Marie Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is toldNational bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon s power is absolute When Marie Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war Marie Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon s reputation But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband s affection, including Napoleon s first wife, Jos phine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen a brother sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie Louise As Pauline s insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie Louise But there are greater concerns than Pauline s jealousy plaguing the court of France While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empire s peace looks increasingly unstable When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie Louise s family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history and change the course of her life Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleon s empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.

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1 thought on “The Second Empress”

Full disclosure: I was provided with an Advanced Reader Copy of the book by the publishers.I've read all of Moran's previous novels, and it's been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I didn't like her ancient Egypt novels at all - the protagonists were too one-dimensional, the plots were simplistic and implausible, she failed to capture the zeitgeist of the times, and all in all I was disappointed by how juvenile the writing was. Moran's previous novel, Madame Tussaud, offered a meatier plot, a more we [...]

I expressed my opinion at length on , so I won't duplicate it here. Suffice it to say that this was a travesty as far as historical facts are concerned, and a complete waste of time for anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the Napoleonic era. I can't remember when I've read anything so abysmally inaccurate. I don't care so much that Moran depicts Napoleon as a caricature, possessing every fault imaginable, or his sister Pauline as an uncontrolled nymphomaniac. However, I do care that she has [...]

3.5 StarsI enjoyed this book. Like Moran's other novels, it was easy and light to read. It was full of history, but at the same time not heavily detailed. Moran focused more on the relationships than the actual political wars. This being my first read on Napoleon, I wasn't sure of how accurate it was. I didn't want to google until I finished. Other's have mentioned in their reviews that this wasn't accurate, but from what I have now searched, except for some minor things (dates, etcwhich the aut [...]

Where I got the book: electronic ARC from Edelweiss.I don't think I've read a novel about Napoleon (this one doesn't really count) since Désirée, so Moran gets points for tackling what feels to me like a neglected historical niche (unless there's a whole slew of Napoleon books I don't know about somewhere). This story covers the latter part of the French Emperor's reign, when Napoleon starts getting dynastic ambitions and divorces Joséphine so that he can bring in Austrian princess Marie-Loui [...]

*sigh* It seems as though Michelle Moran's novels are hit or miss for me. I absolutely loved Madame Tussaud and Cleopatra's Daughter, but cared little for Nefertiti or The Heretic Queen. Unfortunately The Second Empress will be joining the latter category, very disappointing.The Second Empress has a number of issues, including the way in which it was told. Moran chose to have three narrators, alternating. I felt this was absolutely unnecessary. Marie Louise (the actual second Empress), Napoleon' [...]

What an incredibly pleasant surprise! I ended up loving this book!I have little interest in Napoleon up till now, but this book has sparked great curiosity. How did this family become so damned dysfunctional!? (And they really are a messed up crew!) Between Napoleon and his sister Paulina, there is constant insanity in this book! Both are selfish, suspicion, jealous, very cruel, and conniving. Napoleon's greed brings him down, as we know. And Paulina's nymphomania seems the culprit for her demis [...]

The Second Empress focused on the last few years of Napoleon’s reign. The author looked at this chaotic period through 3 people with different views – Pauline, Paul and Marie-Louise. After reading this book, I came to realize that I know so little about Napoleon’s rise and fall. After reading this book, I also felt that this book did not help me gain more insights to Napoleon’s rise and fall. The book is easy to read and fast paced. But it left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. No su [...]

The best part of this book was all the history of Napoleon Bonaparte. I think the author lured readers into this book by putting a woman on the front cover but she wasn't even the focus of the book, whereas Napoleon and his sister Pauline were. I did not like how the story was told by three narrators alternating each chapter. These were Napoelon's wife the Empress Maria-Lucia, his sister Pauline, and Pauline's servant Paul that loved her. I thought Paul's narration was pointless and made the sto [...]

Michelle Moran is my favorite historical fiction writer - her novels are so sexy and smart. She's great at fleshing out those little-known characters that help her tell a much larger story. I'm always left a little obsessed after reading one of her novels, and The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court is no exception. Now I have to read more about Napoleonic France. And I'm especially obsessed with Napoleon's sister Pauline Borghese. You will be too!

Thanksgiving is next week. My sister is arriving in three days and we’ll be busy with some planned activities. On Dec 8th I am having surgery done on my hand, which will then be useless for 4 – 6 weeks. Christmas is coming on fast, and I have nothing done… no cards written, no gifts purchased, and the house is not decorated.And I have been reading ‘The Second Empress’ for what seems to be FOREVER. So even though there were TONS of other things I should have been doing, I set myself a d [...]

The Second Empress is set in the court of Napoleon Bonaparte, after his divorce from Josephine, and until his defeat at Waterloo. It is not a novel exclusively about the "second empress" - that is, Napoleon's second wife, Maria-Lucia of Austria (Marie-Louise). This novel spans many years, and is told from the perspective of Empress Maria-Lucia, Napoleon's sister Pauline, and her servant Paul. However, for an "historical" novel, major events (especially the politically-motivated ones) are frustra [...]

While I don't claim to be an expert on French history, I enjoyed reading how one author saw the times based on her assessment of what she gathered to support her story line. The Second Empress was an intense, well-written novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it very intriguing for a variety of reasons. For one, it held my attention because of the rich historical setting and many details included in each chapter. Even though the story was set in early 1800s France, in some ways the scenario M [...]

This was one of those novels where I couldn't wait for a quiet hour so I could read what happens next. What will the vicious Pauline do to embarrass Marie-Louise and will Queen Caroline show herself up as a Corsican peasant beneath all her furs? The story doesn’t get bogged down with military manoeuvrings, territorial claims or battles either, all of which tend to happen in the background, but concentrates on the dynamics of Napoleon’s court and the women who vie for his attention.Napoleon d [...]

The Second Empress is the story of an ambitious Emperor and the women who surround him during a volatile time in French history.Since I was a teenager, I have had an infatuation with the love affair that was Napoleon and Josephine. I have read many books that contain their love letters and have found them and their story fascinating. I never gave much thought to the other women in his life. This book brought those women to light.Told from various character perspectives, all of which are outstand [...]

This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog thebakingbookworm.Synopsis: The terror of the French Revolution is still fresh in the minds and hearts of France when Napoleon is at his peak of power in the late 1800's. A ruthless and powerful ruler Napoleon is feared by many but there is one thing that Napoleon still needs. An heir.After Josephine's downfall Napoleon is focused more than ever on having a legitimate heir for his empire. He casts aside Josephine and sets his sights [...]

As with my last read, I'm really debating over a two- or three-star rating. I might change this one a couple times.Why? Because as much as I can't get over "The Second Empress"'s many flaws, it ended up being a little addictive. (Much like Moran's super flawed "Nefertiti".) "The Second Empress" tells the tale of a chunk of history I know very little about: Napoleon's reign, and specifically his second marriage. Truth be told, I didn't even know the name of Napoleon's second wife until I heard ab [...]

Disclosure: I received a free proof copy of The Second Empress through a First Reads giveaway in exchange for a review. This story is told from the points of view of three characters: Marie-Louise, the Empress of France; her sister-in-law, Pauline Bonaparte; and Pauline's chamberlain, Paul (originally Antoine, but renamed at Pauline's command). Napoleon is divorcing his first wife, Josephine, and on the hunt for a new bride. He chooses a Hapsburg princess, Maria Lucia, seemingly against everyone [...]

I quite enjoyed this historical fiction, provided by netgalley. I tend to be more of either a historical romance or a straight history reader, so this represented a bit of a change for me.What did I like about this one?- The writing style: first person all the way, but written from multiple characters' points of view. I really liked this. It could have been a bit confusing and a bit tedious but for the fact that the characters are very diverse and it really does give you the sense that you are i [...]

Maria-Lucia, Archduchess of Austria, is planning to marry the man she loves and to one day rule Austria as regent for her ailing brother. Unfortunately for her, she is instead shipped off to France to be rechristened 'Marie-Louise' and become Napoleon’s “second empress” (replacing his beloved but barren Josephine). Once there she must contend not only with Napoleon, who is unsurprisingly pretty horrible as a husband, but also his eccentric family…most notably his sister Pauline, who spen [...]

I loved Moran's earlier novel about Madame Tussaud but found her new novel which takes place at the court of Napoleon less compelling. The novel takes place from 1809 to 1815, and alternates between three narrators, Maria Lucia, Princess of Austria, Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, and Paul Moreau, a mulatto from Haiti who has come with Pauline Bonaparte to France as her chamberlain. Maria Lucia becomes a political pawn, much like her great aunt Marie Antoinette, when she is selected by Nap [...]

I read Michelle Moran's 'Madame Tussaud' when it first came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. She brought the period of the French Revolution to life in a realistic and believable way, I felt like I had been transported back in time. I expected to find a similarly engrossing story in 'The Second Empress'. While I did like this story, it was entertaining and easy to read, it doesn't have the same well-polished quality that 'Tussaud' has. The characters are not well developed and the period and the s [...]

This book was published the day I left for Vienna so I downloaded it to my Kindle before I left. How appropriate to read this novel while I was in Austria as the main character, Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon, was born and raised in Vienna as the eldest daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria. While I was in Vienna, I visited Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace where Marie-Louise grew up. I also visited the Imperial Crypt where she was buried. I very much liked the structure of the p [...]

This was 3.5 stars. I will round up because I feel like I learned something. I don't know much about Napoleon and his rise and fall. Actually, I still don't after reading this, but I do feel I know more than before. This was an interesting read. I loved the research the author provided and the way it was personalized with private letters. After reading this, I think I'm going to have to throw some books about Napoleon on to my TBR pile. It surprises me though, that so many people lived in a perp [...]

I truly enjoyed this. There is something special in the way Michelle Moran writes, it's straight-forward, no complicated frou-frou words, but engrossing. Sometimes I get a little bored with the whole Napoleon/Josephine rehash. Dont get me wrong, I love reading the history about the era and a good Historical Fiction thrown in also makes it very interesting. But, for me this was pretty entertaining, I loved Marie-Louise's strength and character.

4.5 stars, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I had been waiting for a book on Marie-Louise for ages, and I surely loved this. It might be a somewhat lighter, girlier read, but I learned a lot regardless! It has certainly whetted my appetite for the other books on the Bonapartes (what a family!) and the other books by Moran in my collection.

As one can tell from the title, this is a story about Napoleon’s court. This takes place after Napoleon “divorces” Josephine since she is unable to give him a son. He sets his sights on the daughter of the King of Austria, Maria-Lucia. He proceeds to rename her Marie-Louise to sound more French, and marries her to produce a son. This book is written from the perspective of Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s sister Pauline, and Pauline’s chamberlain Paul. Marie-Louise is terrified because of Napo [...]

Very well-researched and historically accurate, The Second Empress, Michelle Moran’s just released historical novel , has been a delightful surprise for someone like me with no sympathy for the Bonapartes. As many documents witness, the legend of Napoleon is very different from the reality of the man: he was a military genius but the admirable skills he showed in the battlefield weren’t extended to his personal life. He was a tyrannical person, a selfish, cynical , disrespectful lover and hu [...]

The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court could not have been released sooner. As a good Michelle Moran fan, I requested this book 6 months ago from my library because I had to be the first to get it. I am not a patient person when it comes to my books. I was not disappointed!!!Going into this book, I knew very little about Napoleon or his court. If I hadn't known the second empress was historically based, I would have thought it was nonfiction. He was a jerk and possible psychopath. He wa [...]